By Tracey Khan – Drakes
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Leader of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), David Granger says he will consider whether or not he will support the calls made by the People’s Progressive Party Civic for an extension to the claims and objections exercise after the PPP/C cited possible disenfranchisement of Guyanese from voting at any upcoming elections as the reason for its request.
Granger today questioned the motive behind this move by the PPP; however, he stated that consultations will be held with its people on the ground to find out if this request is justifiable.
“We do not know the motive of the PPP for such a call and we have examined the PPP statement and we are consulting our own people in the regions to find out if there is any justification,” Granger told reporters at a press conference.
Meanwhile, the Party’s Shadow Home Affairs Minister, Winston Felix made it clear that the APNU is “not inclined at this time to support the PPP’s request, we are all operating under the same rules, the same timeframe. We have been informed of the PPP’s antics in Region One, where they are paying people and moving them around the place pretending to be GECOM employees”.
Felix also accused the PP of having its people on the ground on the West Coast of Berbice, posing at GECOM officers, as recent as yesterday.
“Yesterday I was told a number of persons who are known to be PPP, they are bringing persons in bus loads for transfers, so we are aware of the moves by the PPP, they are making certain arrangements on the ground and they want to put themselves in an advantageous position by the time the elections is called.”
He emphasized that there is no just reason to request an extension other than to satisfy “the PPP’s game playing antics at this point in time”.
Felix also spoke about the PPP/C’s concerns that the voters list is padded.
“I am saying to you that the PPP has an apparent motive behind it to derail the current process to get things in their favor or to have a complete review.”
The PPP in a press release yesterday stated that it has requested that GECOM extend by seven days its upcoming claims and objections exercise, for the period August 4 to 24, 2014.
The Party stated that it “is convinced that an extension at this critical time is necessary to ensure most if not all eligible Guyanese are on the List and not disenfranchised whenever elections are called.”
The PPP said it has received valuable information from its extensive field work countrywide that many persons who are still to effect transfer of their particulars from one list to another especially in New Housing Schemes.
The Party reminded that it “made representation for the over 8,000 persons that were still to take transfers at the end of the last continuous registration period. And our ground work has shown there is still a significant amount of persons that are still to do so with the Claims and Objections period concluding on Sunday 24th August, 2014.”
